Thanksgiving Challenge - Day 7-9

(I'm waay behind but here goes)

1) Grooveshark: It is debatable if this online music streaming service is legal or not but either way, Grooveshark has allowed me to listen to music at work from my favourite artists
2) JayessLee: Harmonizing (and mesmorizing) Korean twins from Australia. They played and sang in concert on Friday. I thank them for sharing their touching testimony and giving God the glory with their music and talents. It has re-inspired me to do the same
3) Coupons: Businesses promote their goods, I save money. A reason to get me to go out!
4) Large dinner events: On Saturday was the Dalit Awareness Dinenr where ~300 people attended. It has been awhile since I've attended these kind of events where there was plenty of food, music, and dance. It was great community event and I connected with people I have not seen in a long time.
5) Clear skies at night: I had the opportuinity to walk around downtown at night; the skies were clear and crisp, the city lights, stars and moon were shining bright in beautiful elegance. Even though I've seen it before, it always makes me acknowledge God and for this beautiful creation.
6) Pastors: It is pastors appreciation month this October. I'm really thankful for the hard work and service they put in, and for taking a lot of peoples' excrement.
7) Rooibos tea: I prefer not to consume caffeine, but I like my tea. I'm glad my dad introduced me to a product of South Africa, rooibos tea. High in antioxidants, it's lack of caffeine makes it my healthy and flavourful choice.
8) Electricity: Actually electricity is natural (lightning) but the ability to harness and generate electricity for world use and consumption has really propelled humans into incredible advances in technology and innovation. No electricity, no light, no computers, no technology.
9) iPad: I don't use it a lot but I give thanks for this device. It has enabled my mom to surf the web with ease, use her email and Facebook to connect with her relatives.
10) Health: We often take our health for granted, only until we are sick or injured do we realize how vital it is to function. I'm thankful that I've been healthy my whole life and especially now, I haven't been seriously sick.
11) Starfield: One of my favourite Christian bands. I like their music and lyrical style, plus the lyrics aren't superficial. It actually causes me to think, to pause, to digest, and enjoy.
12) My friends: Item #12 to signify the twelve disciples, which makes me dedicate this one to all my friends (not Facebook friends, but FRIENDS). I'm thankful for my friends to keep me grounded, humble, to make fun of, to make fun of me. It's ace.
13) Paper: To capture my ideas and to-do lists
14) Trees: To follow up on the paper idea, trees take CO2 and converts it to Oxygen, provides shade, nice scenery, source of paper, wood for houses, tables, and GUITARS!
15) Keyboard: Obviously I type faster than I write. Makes a huge difference when you're writing a long essay

Thanksgiving Challenge - Day 5 & 6

I'm thankful for:
1) Knowing how to play piano: Actually, I give thanks for my mom to urge me to play piano. There was a point where I didn't enjoy it, but now whenever I'm bored, stressed, or feeling creative, I just play the piano and play whatever is on my mind. It also gave me the musical foundation to play many other instruments, such as ....
2) Guitar: There's something so beautiful about the guitar, the sound it makes, the look of it. It has definitely kept me out of trouble for many years
3) Tea: I like how there are so many different kinds of tea for different moods, settings, and occasions. My workplace kitchen has over 20 different varieties and I've been experimenting here and there. Rooibos, Orange Pekoe, Indian Chai, Green, Jasmine, Peppermint, Earl Grey, etc etc. But so far, my favourite is Orange Pekoe with cream, sweetened with honey.
4) Chocolate: I love my chocolate; whether it's brownies, cookies, fudge, ice cream, etc etc. So good - makes me happy. Makes everyone happy (except for Jacqueline and Michelle... they don't like chocolate -.- ) Only thing is if I eat too much without any liquids, I get a sore throat
5) People with a similar personality as me: There are only a few people (very few) that have a similar personality and character as me. We don't hang out often, but when we do, it is THE BOMB!
6) Vancouver Transit: Compared to some places I've been to (Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray... ALBERTA), transit in Vancouver is TOP-NOTCH. I take it school, now I'm taking it to work in downtown.
7) Literacy: Imagine that you couldn't read, write, or type. We are blessed to live in a nation where there is education and where the literacy rate is 99%. On the other end of the scale, South Sudan's literacy rate is 27%.
8) Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V: My most commonly used short-cuts.
9) Wikipedia: Everything to anything I need to know about the world. It has proved to be more useful than any of my university textbooks
10) Good sound-emitting devices: It's come to a point now where I need really good quality speakers/headphones in order to enjoy music/movies. The bass has to be strong, the frequency range has to be wide, when I listen to live albums, it has to sound and ALMOST feel like I'm there.

Thanksgiving Challenge - Day 3 & 4

I give thanks for:

1) Google: Honestly, I wouldn't be able to handle the amount of things I'm involved in without Google. Their products (Gmail, GDocs, Gchat, etc) help me organize and run my life at it's optimal efficiency.
2) Water: Living in Vancouver, BC, we are so blessed with amazingly clean and soft water. Even in other parts of Canada, the water is hard, leaves a chalky white residue, and tastes funky. In less-than-developed regions, runnning water is luxury and even if it's accessible, the water is not safe to drink.
3) Good ball-point pens: There's something about a good pen that writes really well. The ink flows nicely, the pen moves smoothly.
4) My Blackberry from TELUS: This one I am truly thankful because a couple years ago, I was not looking for a phone. I get a call from some guy representing TELUS and asking if I want to get a new phone/contract. To make a long story short, I got a pretty good deal for email, messaging, unlimited texting and that helped me stay connected with people when I worked in Fort McMurray for 8 months. (Before this TELUS plan, I only had 250 text messages per month)
5) Great company: Doing co-op at SAP is THE BOMB! I'm just happy to soak up all the experience from a leading global company.
6) Great co-workers: Everyone I've met at my company is really friendly, respectful, and easy to talk to.
7) Great work environment: Okay, I'm really stretching this one but the facility at my workplace is great; free milk/coffee/tea, cheap $0.25 pop, great kitchens, lounges, pool tables, foosball tables, weight room, health services, etc
8) Mom: I still live at home (but I pay a discount amount for rent/food) - I'm really thankful for a mom to keep the house stocked with food and cook meals for lunch/dinner.
9) Dogs: My two dogs with very different personalities bring me great joy and happiness. Though they may be annoying at times, they are really fun.
10) Snacks: I don't know, I love my snacks, I'm always hungry, I eat my snacks. I'm hungry at this moment. Time for some snacks!

My Engrish is getting worse

It has been over a year since I've been in school - I've been on co-op since Sept 2010 and will be until the end of 2011 and I can already feel the effects of being out of school for a significant amount of time.

My mastery of English is deteriorating. When I type, my sentences are not making sense. My grammar and spelling is off. I've noticed that people are asking me more frequently to repeat what I've said... I'm beginning to notice slurring, lack of clarity and enunciation in my speech.

IT IS TIME TO GET IT BACK before I return to class in January 2012.

 How?
- Back to reading books
- Reading out loud (and in a British accent to improve clarity and enunciation)
- Writing for my nearly abandoned blog

I hope you keep me accountable in my quest to retrieve what I have lost.

Where is all the time, time, time, time?

My response to women and their wedding plans

(This post was inspired by Tessa's post)

"Needless to say, half the time my job does make me want to get hitched as well. From the beautiful dresses [...], to the exquisite floral arrangements, to the photography - I love it all." - Tessa at www.aMileInHerHeels.com

I've hit the age where my friends are starting to get getting hitched... aka getting married. And all this wedding action only sparks wedding conversations among the single and free, especially the unmarried women.

I've heard reports that girls start planning their dream wedding since age 5. (I congratulate you, Disney, for creating the fantasies for girls of my generation.) If only those fantasies worked for the guys (like the princess marrying the beast, frog, or ogre).

I admit, it gets annoying.

25 random things about me

I got tagged by a friend to do this "25 random things" survey on Facebook and posted it as a note in late-2009. I somehow randomly stumbled onto it again in 2011 and I read through my responses and realized it pretty much sums up "Kevin Chong". Here is a copy of my responses I posted on Facebook...

Here are the rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose xx amount of people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

1) Guitar =)

2) I don't understand people who do those 200 question survey that asks about your life, who you've kissed or what you are wearing etc (that's right Aaron Lo)

3) I'm straight.

4) Guitar =)

5) I'm rarely at home (or hometown) for my birthday.

6) I'm the guy who says what people are thinking but would never say.

7) People say I'm blunt, I prefer to say I'm honest. The truth hurts =)

Blog writing - Keeping it short and concise

I've challenged myself to finish this post in 10 minutes with no initial topic in mind...

Usually it takes me longer for I take the extra effort to make every word count. "Prose does not need to be longer if it doesn't need to be." That's what I learned in one of my classes in University. It wasn't an English class but a class on Research Methods. I'd say it was the best class I've taken in University. It contained students from various fields and disciplines, ranging from Economics, Biology, Psychology, Linguistics, Chemistry, and Computer Science to name a few. The class focused on finding common themes and ideas present in all disciplines; it really forces you to think outside the box.

Whispering Air [Original composition]

This is an original composition. I composed this in 2007 and was planning to re-record this back then but obviously that didn't happen. I was just playing around on my piano and I stumbled upon this song. I happened to have my laptop around and I started recording and putting the song together on-the-fly.

Casual Fridays costing your company $$$

"Today is Friday, yesterday was Thursday, tomorrow is Saturday"....

This post was inspired by Jason when he mentioned about "casual Fridays". I started to think about Fridays at work and how people generally slack off on Fridays. I work in an office environment and you can definitely notice a lot of casual chatter and laughter by the afternoon on Fridays. I thought to myself:

"How much money does a company lose when employee-productivity decreases because of the 'Slack-Friday syndrome'?"

What to blog about?

I've come to a point where I really don't have anything to blog about that is pressing. Usually I'd be inspired with an idea and spend awhile thinking and brainstorming, and then finally actually putting thoughts into text.

But after that post on "Does Reality Exist?” I got nothing.

Then questions come up:

Why do I blog?
What am I trying to achieve with my blogging?
Am I some attention-seeking fool?
Do I have a message I want to get out?

What is reality? Does reality exist?

I was doing some day-dreaming at work and thinking about the idea of how two people can see same event, yet interpret and experience it differently. Then the question popped up: What is reality?

.... Does reality exist?

My answer?? I'm going to argue that reality in fact exists but it is never known in its ultimate and truest from. Agents in this world experience reality with their own views and biases, hence everyone's perception of reality is different.

Reality exists, but one will never capture its purest form.... no one knows what true reality is. I'm going to make my claim stronger that it is impossible for any agent in this world to know what true reality is.

(What are thoughts? Opinions? Discuss)

State of our world: Pt II - Contrasts

Link to Part I

(Thanks to Tessa for the first picture)

Awakening (Cover by KevinKayChong)

Awakening

- Chris Tomlin & Reuben Morgan

Verse 1:

In our hearts, Lord, in this nation

Awakening

Holy Spirit, we desire

Awakening

Chorus:

For You and You alone

Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing

For the world You love

Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

State of our world: Pt I - UNdistribution

If there could be one fact, one statistic that can fully describe the state of our world... it is this:

"... the richest 10% of adults accounted for 85% of the world total. In contrast, the bottom half of the world adult population owned barely 1% of global wealth."

Or how about ...

"One half of the world population lives on less than $2 per day. 160 million live on less than 50 cents. At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day."

Many people in this world have come up with amazing plans and strategies to eliminate poverty in this world... but the best and simplest strategy was proposed long ago: Share the wealth.

Luke 19:1-10 (The Message)

Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.

When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?"

Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, "Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the damages."

Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."

(Don't believe the statistics? Search it up on Google to confirm.)

Stay tuned for Part II - Contrasts

Mighty to Save by Hillsong United [Cover by KevinKayChong]

I spontaneously decided to do a cover on any song... and I happen to pick "Mighty to Save" by Reuben Morgan of Hillsong. Great song, great message.

This is the one and only take I did.

Verse 1:

Everyone needs compassion,

Love that's never failing;

Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,

The kindness of a Saviour;

The Hope of nations.

Chorus:

Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My God is Mighty to save,

He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave,

Jesus conquered the grave.

Digging Deep

I will now be taking a turn with my blog; instead of entertaining fluff and stories that humiliate myself for the sake of your delight. I will be digging deep....

................ digging deep into my thoughts, my mind, my soul. I will dig deep and whatever plunder I find, I will lay it all on the table for you to see.

I have done some initial digging and this is what I've found ...

... a treasure chest filled with lead,

..........a box filled with snakes and scorpions, and

................a bottle of numbing poison.

Obviously those are metaphors - metaphors to represent heavy burdens, internal conflicts, dilemmas, and things that chip away at your soul.

Sounds depressing?

It is only depressing because I don't know what to do...

It is a lose-lose situation...

........It is like asking out an ugly girl.

1) if she says yes, you got an ugly girl,

2) if she says no, you just got rejected by an ugly girl. (okay, that's the last metaphor).

(Don't worry - I will continue my "Adventures in Fort McMurray"...though it seems a better name would be "Fort Mac Funnies".)

Traffic Jams

Traffic jams in Fort McMurray. Yes. Hard to believe. It has a population of ~120,000 people and I have experienced longer traffic jams here than the ones where you come home from camping on a long weekend in the Lower Mainland.

My pants are ripping (my fight against fat and weight gains - Pt 2)

WOW, seriously... I thought I had my weight gains under control but apparently I haven't - now look... I'm bursting at the seams!